UCEED 2019 Topper Interview: AIR 1, Vishwaprasanna Hariharan is already pursuing BDes from IIT Guwahati

Vishwaprasanna Hariharan, Rank 1 holder in UCEED 2019, shares his prep strategy for the exam in a candid interview with Shiksha. 

With a score of 213.96, Vishwaprasanna Hariharan secured Rank 1 in UCEED 2019 conducted by IIT Bombay on January 19. Vishwaprasanna’s section-wise scores in the exam include 42 in Section-A, 41.24 in Section-B and 130.72 in Section-C.

Already pursuing Bachelor in Design (BDes) from IIT Guwahati, this was not Vishwaprasanna’s first attempt at UCEED exam. He appeared for the exam last year as well and secured All India Rank 17 (AIR 17). With a higher score in UCEED 2019, Vishwaprasanna is now eligible to shift to another institute, however, he is going to stay at IIT Guwahati as he finds it more suitable to his requirements. When asked, why he appeared for the exam again, Vishwaprasanna said, “I liked the UCEED paper a lot the first time I wrote it in 2018. I just wanted to experience it all over again.”

Born and brought up in the city of Mumbai, Vishwaprasanna completed his schooling from St. Mary’s ICSE School, Kopar Khairane, Navi Mumbai. His mother is a physiotherapist and father is a Chartered Accountant (CA). He also has a younger brother who studies in 10^th grade. Talking about his hobbies, Vishwaprasanna shared, “I play the mridangam (an Indian classical percussion instrument) at a professional level. I like playing basketball, cricket and badminton. I also like roller skating and cycling.”

Read on to know more about Vishwaprasanna Hariharan’s prep strategy for UCEED exam.  

No, not at all. I just had fun and gave my best in the exam.

The first time I appeared for the exam in 2018, I solved previous years’ UCEED question papers. This time, the last year experience of giving the paper and BDes course at IIT Guwahati helped me crack the UCEED 2019 exam.

Basically, the UCEED paper tests candidates on the following five skills/ abilities – observation, visualisation, logical reasoning, mathematics and general knowledge. How well a candidate scores in the exam depends on how strong his/her skills are.

I strongly believe that there is no way one can be prepared for an aptitude test. All that a student needs is to trigger his/her imagination, visualisation skills and logical thinking abilities.

I solved only UCEED question papers of the past three years (2015, 2016 and 2017). I recommend students to solve past years’ CEED question papers as the two exams (CEED and UCEED) are similar in nature. The logical reasoning sections of Olympiads could also be of help in UCEED preparation.

Candidates should avoid focusing way too much on general knowledge as it is too specific and vast to cover in entirety. It is advisable to focus more on other parts of the UCEED syllabus as the exam tests a candidate’s aptitude for design which is something intrinsic.

Time management was my main weakness for UCEED exam. Therefore, during the exam, I first attempted the questions I was confident about and left questions that required a bit more thought for later.

In my opinion, if a student has the aptitude for design, the entire UCEED paper is easy and enjoyable.

No, initially my aim was to pursue engineering. It shifted to design after I appeared for UCEED for the first time in 2018.

Try to enjoy the exam as much as possible. Don’t get stressed about performing well, because the moment you do, it will put pressure on you which will not let you think clearly. And, the most important thing about any design entrance exam is that it must be taken with a clam and clear head.

I aspire to become a product designer.